Legislative amendments seeking a cut in the US aid to Pakistan have been defeated in Congress

According to latest report from Press Trust of India “two legislative amendments seeking a cut in the US aid to Pakistan have been defeated in the House of Representatives. It been argued by many lawmakers it is essential to maintain ties with a nuclear armed country despite it not doing enough in the war against terrorism. This news will most certainly come as a welcome relief to Pakistan government and its military which has suffered many diplomatic losses in the last few months because of a successful foreign policy blitzkrieg by Prime Minister Narendra Modi government.

The first amendment which was moved by Congressman Ted Poe sought to cut funding to Pakistan from USD 900 million to USD 700 million in coalition support fund (CSF). This amendment was defeated on the House floor by a recorded vote of 191 to 230. The other amendment which was moved by Congressman Dana Rohrabacher who wanted to prohibit funds from being used to provide aid to Pakistan and it was defeated by a recorded vote of 84 to 236. Congressmen Poe who argued that “Pakistan is on the wrong side of the war’ and he told his collogues in Congress “Here is the reason, Mr Chairman: the Pakistanis hid Osama bin Laden, and we had to go into Pakistan and take him out. They hid him, and the world knows about it.”

Congressmen Poe in his impassion and balanced speech further said “After they hid Osama bin Laden, amazingly, the CIA section chief in Pakistan is poisoned. He comes back to the US. He believes, and the CIA believes, that it was the Pakistani ISI that poisoned him. I agree with them and Pakistan was “playing everybody”, “take our money, it goes through ISI, and it ends up in the hands of the Taliban and Afghanistan that is killing Americans”.

Mr. Poe main argument was that the funding which was given to Pakistan was falling into the hands of terrorists who he said “we will be then basically giving money to a government that not only represses its own people but, through its support of terrorism and terrorist organisations, threatens the people of the US and those peoples elsewhere.” However it is the thinking of many politicians in Congress that the U.S must give support and funding to Pakistan and according to Congressman Rodney Frelinghuysen “It also remains a cost-effective tool for the US to remain engaged in the region and with Pakistan. We shouldn’t be abandoning Pakistan, because we might actually have something even worse than what the gentleman describes if we turn our back on Pakistan.”

Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee said “the US must be mindful that Pakistan have nuclear capacity” which many experts in the U.S call it as bargaining chip to get aid and other military hardware to bolster its military while the people of Pakistan do not have access to hospitals, electricity, water and sanitation. The bottom line is Pakistan will get U.S aid despite harboring Taliban, Haqqani network and Al Qaeda terrorists on its soil who have done everything in their power to kill American soldiers and create disability in Afghanistan and support global Jihad.